Opinion

Is it too soon for a Harry Potter remake?

14.4.2023

Translation: Katherine Martin

The announcement of a Harry Potter remake has been met with scepticism from some fans. To be honest, I initially felt the same way. As time has gone on, however, I’ve got caught up in the euphoria.

The Jobberknoll have been singing it from the rooftops of Hogsmeade for weeks. Now, it’s official: Harry Potter is getting a remake in the form of a TV series. We don’t yet know when it’s coming, but any prediction of a release «before 2025» is likely to be too ambitious. After all, they still need to find the showrunners, or, at least, confirm them. Producers, too. And directors. Actors as well. Only then can filming begin. Then there’s the reshoot, then post-production. Yep, there’s still a whole lot to do.

Mulling all this over while writing yesterday’s news article, I pause: «I’m not sure about all this. Has the world really been waiting for a Harry Potter remake?»

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The same scepticism seems to be widespread online, with some fans interpreting the latest announcement as a lack of creativity and a cheap attempt to milk the franchise. Achieving a better version of it is hardly likely anyway, especially when it comes to the casting. There’s Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry Potter, Alan Rickman’s Severus Snape, Robbie Coltrane’s Hagrid and Ralph Fienne’s Voldemort, to name a few. Won’t the series fail on that alone? And don’t even get me started on John Williams’ iconic film score.

At any rate, the wizarding world offers enough material for multiple spin-offs not necessarily centring on Harry and his friends. So, why are we getting yet another Harry Potter? Sure, the Fantastic Beasts series might have been a disappointment, but Hogwarts Legacy, which takes place a good 100 years before the films is breaking record after record. So no one can say that the franchise is only successful if it involves Harry Potter.

Still, the more I think it over, the more I’m warming to the idea of a Harry Potter remake. So what’s changed?

The most important reason of all

Let’s skip the parseltongue and do some straight talking. Warner Bros is in it for the money. However, amidst all the hoo-ha and backlash surrounding the announcement, the perhaps most important argument in favour of a remake has been lost: the project is being helmed by HBO.

HBO!

Not any old Warner Bros’ channel, streaming service or production studio, but the corporation behind cult classics such as Game of Thrones, Succession, Tschernobyl, Euphoria, True Detective, The Wire, The Sopranos and, most recently, The Last of Us. If I were to stop typing right now, I’d already have offered up enough reasons for a remake. After all, just as banks require a guarantee for a loan, HBO serves as a guarantee for me. A guarantee prompting me to at least put aside my scepticism and give the series a fair chance. In fact, the mention of HBO does far more than that – it stokes the feeling of euphoria in me.

One season per book? YES!

Another solid argument for a TV-based remake is the running time. As it happens, the series is reportedly getting one season per book. So that’s seven seasons of Harry Potter, allowing every important plot point to be given the representation it deserves. This is exactly what the latter films in the franchise failed to do. In a bid to pack the increasingly thick books into two-and-a-half-hour films, entire storylines were often axed. These were occasionally even plot points that were absolutely imperative for the audience’s understanding. For instance, if you haven’t read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, you won’t understand why, towards the end of the third film, Harry thinks he’s seen his dead father casting the patronus charm. Or why his teacher Remus Lupin even knows what the Marauder’s Map is, let alone how it works.

It sure will be tough for me to see someone other than David Thewlis in the role of Lupin. However, anyone who hasn’t read the books would be lost at this scene anyway.

That’s expected to change. Just think of all the things that were missing. There was the Deathday Party thrown by the ghosts on Halloween, and the Headless Hunt. The Quidditch World Cup. The real battle at the Ministry. The prophecy, which almost saw Neville became the chosen one. And, hell, basically the entire actual plot of the sixth book! The book put some emphasis on Voldemort’s background, telling his story in the form of magical memories. Harry has to study them with Dumbledore, who says they contain the missing puzzle piece necessary to defeat the seemingly invincible Dark Lord once and for all.

And the film? Two short scenes about Voldemort’s past, and that’s it. Much more time is dedicated to the love lives of Harry and his friends, sometimes even in a cringeworthy way. One example of this is the unconvincing romance between Harry and Ginny. Still, even that could be explored in more depth in the remake.

Eurgh. I can barely watch Harry and Ginny’s lovey-dovey scenes.

Speaking of things to be explored in depth, the series could show flashbacks of the night Voldemort murdered Harry’s parents. Or it could delve into St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Kreacher’s redemption story or Snape’s history with Lilly and Petunia. Or it could tell us more about the old Order of the Phoenix. Or the friendship of Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, which would heighten the drama of the betrayal considerably.

I could go on like this forever.

Warning: rumour alert!

Rumours are, of course, rife. How could they not be? With this in mind, you should take the few leaks that have emerged with a grain of salt. Some «insiders» might well have let their imaginations run away with them.

That said, a rough storyline for the first episode has apparently already been decided. In a similar fashion to The Last of Us, it will reportedly reveal the last day of James and Lily Potter’s lives, including their murder by Voldemort. Plus, some of the actors from the films are said to be returning in new roles. For instance, Tom Felton, who originally played Draco Malfoy, is reportedly set to take on the role of Draco’s father Lucius Malfoy in the TV series. While we’re on the topic of casting, Adam Driver is reported to be in talks about playing Severus Snape, with Helen Mirren supposedly in the mix for the part of Minerva McGonagall. A good start.

Yep, the series really is up against it. Its raison d’être has to be to outdo one of the most popular movie series in the world – in fact, an impossible feat. With HBO at the helm, however, I see an opportunity. Thinking about everything that wouldn’t have been remotely possible within the confines of a two-and-a-half-hour film, I’m almost hopeful that the impossible might still be possible after all.

Header image: Warner Bros

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Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.

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